The world is at an inflection point. Throughout both the developing and developed world, people are unsure about their future and have lost faith in their leaders and their institutions. We are seeing this in the rise of populism and xenophobia – from the rise of ISIS to Brexit and the rhetoric of America’s presidential election. While the tendency in this environment is to look towards nationalism, the world is too globalized and interconnected for countries to solve domestic and international issues alone. Moreover, neither governments nor the private sector or civil society will be able to overcome these...

Happy 2016! While you might have already broken your New Year’s resolution, we are starting off fresh with a new edition of Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup to show you what is going on in arts and culture around the world. The New Year may only be a few weeks old, but we can already look back at a great amount of events and festivals celebrating and promoting international exchange through film, food, sports, and dance.

“… Stomachs don’t waste time with universal doubt. They begin with inherited cultural wisdom which they seek to further. Bodies and stomachs immerse us in the world, engage us in all sorts of interactions, and blur rigid boundaries between ourselves and our surroundings.” – Richard Shusterman We live in a world dominated by food, in both its presence and absence. Nowadays it is possible for someone to fill a culinary passport without leaving the city, let alone country. What people eat plays a major part in defining them. And, just as it is true on an individual level, identity...

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to reflect on that for which they should be grateful. This starts with the many blessings we have today in this great country thanks to the many who built it and sacrificed to keep it great. We also enjoy the bounty of plentiful food and must think about those who may have less. Because I sense a little anxiety this Thanksgiving about life in the world today, I wanted to share some data to put things into context. We are living in a very good time and if we, at Meridian...

Welcome to the twelfth edition of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy’s Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup, a feature that aims to explore unique cultural diplomacy initiatives from around the globe. With the temperatures peaking and summer in full swing, this post travels to nine cultural diplomacy events and celebrations that took place in the month of July: